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Stand Out!

Marketers are yelling to be heard. As a marketer, how do you make your voice heard among all the noise in the marketplace? How do you stand out from your competitors? Whether you are marketing a tangible product or touting the vacation experience of a lifetime, one effective way to stand out is by humanizing your brand. Humanizing your brand is no longer an option; it is a necessity. People enjoy making connections. They like investing their time and money in people they can relate to (HubSpot, 2015). Therefore, in today’s highly competitive world, it must be in the interest of every business to discover a way to cut through the clutter and connect with customers.. Here are 5 guidelines to get people to listen to you in a noisy, competitive world.

Promote your company culture

To make people want to listen to you, you need to inform them of who you are. Your business or organization does have a personality. This goes beyond the basics of having an “About Us” section on your website. On social media platforms you need to take this a step further. If your company completed a marathon race or a fun-run, post a photo on Facebook of employees happily crossing the finish line. Then, make it the cover photo. If your office is decorated for a festival or some other special occasion, post a video tour of it on your website (HubSpot, 2015). If your team has recently completed a certificate or won an award, promote it on Instagram. When your fans/followers/website viewers and prospective guests are able to see how great it is to work at your company or organization, they will be more willing to feel a connection with you and in turn, will trust you and listen to you.

Concentrate more on providing resources than just making a sale

Offer your viewers something of value (without a sales pitch) and they will come back to you for more. This whole process is about establishing relationships through trust that is built on you providing helpful, credible resources. If the information you provide is technical in nature, break it down and provide a source where your audience can go to get even more details if they wish. Content marketing is connected to speaking in your audience’s language. While providing these resources, it is critical that you offer them in a way that most effectively speaks to your various publics. You should also ensure that you offer the right kinds of materials your audience will actually want to consume. If your focus is B2B, communicate to your audience in an educational and informative way. If your aim is B2C, tug on their emotions (HubSpot, 2015). The better you are at learning your guest’s or customer’s language, the more approachable and human you will appear to them, resulting in them wanting to listen and communicate with you.

Keep an active blog on your website

Keeping an active blog is a free way to demonstrate your human side to your audience. It will boost your SEO, making it easier for search engines to find you and your business. In addition, staying current with topics in your industry and becoming more purpose-driven will help to show your human side (HubSpot, 2015). Demonstrating a clear understanding of the issues and a willingness to share your opinions can boost your credibility. Most of all, providing readers with useful information and educated opinions on topics they are seeking out will make your voice heard.

Define Your Niche

Position yourself as the leading expert in your field (Forbes, 2013). One way you can do this is by narrowing your market focus. “Tourism content marketing” can even be too broad, so consider “special-interest tourism content marketing” or “sports tourism content marketing”. Make it as specific as is practical. You should make every effort to know everything you can about your niche markets and create specific strategies to target each segment, as different segments have different needs and aspirations. Once you have established yourself as a specialist, people will be more inclined to listen to you.

Explore other channels

Increased competition in the marketplace forces us to be innovative (Forbes, 2013). This involves finding ways to surprise and delight your customers and prospects. Although we certainly should embrace the advancements in technology and use them accordingly to communicate with our target audiences, we must not throw away traditional communication methods. The norm nowadays is to send content electronically and consumers are often inundated with online content. This gives you an opportunity to be creative in a traditional way. For example, consider sending personalized printed greeting cards to your best customers in the mail. Yes, the postal service still works well! As there is less clutter in print today, there is an opportunity wherever practical, for your business to get noticed in the elegant, old fashioned way. However, keep in mind this strategy may not work for all of your guests. The key is to know who your target audience is and know the best way to reach them.